This Heart of Mine (Shadow Falls)

by C C Hunter

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was drawn to this book, because it seemed to have a lot to offer. An ailing teen, romance, a mysterious death - I predicted tears and smiles from this one, and I did indeed cry and smile.

•Pro: Leah was quite wonderful, and Hunter did such a fantastic job conveying her emotions. After having accepted her imminent death, Leah was trying to adjust to the possibility of a future, something she never thought she would have, and this prompted her to contemplate who this "new Leah" was.

•Pro: The romance was so sweet. From their first interaction, I was shipping these two. This was the second chance they never really thought they would get. After years of missed connections, fate puts them in each others orbit and also gave them quite an interesting thing to bond over. I must admit, the romance was probably my favorite part of the story, because, well, I love romance.

•Pro: Matt had quite a few swoony moments, and I liked that Hunter wrote him to be so sensitive. This was the boy I wanted for Leah. She had a tough time and deserved someone who was wonderful.

•Pro: Leah's doctor stole my heart. She was such a wonderfully written character, who shared quite a bit of wisdom with us during the story.

•Pro: Kudos for the present YA parents. Leah's parents were top notch. Maybe a little overprotective, but in all fairness, their only child was dying.

•Pro: There's a bunch of grieving in this book, and everyone knows how much I like that. The healing process was not one-size-fits all and I thought the exploration of the different characters' grief was quite honest.

•Con: I was not the biggest fan of the mystery element. It was ok, but honestly, I just wanted to focus on the romance between Matt and Leah, because I liked it so much.

•Pro: I think the mystery was supposed to get my emotions all heightened, but it was actually Leah's health that did that for me. I cared about her so much, and needed her to be able to enjoy some sort of life without constantly thinking about dying.

•Pro: I liked that Hunter showed us that even with a transplant, life is not easy. There are complications that can occur, and some limitations, but she also reminded us that every moment is precious and to savor them all.

•Pro: I am a registered organ donor and my daughter has been directed to donate my body to science, so I really appreciated that part of the story. I like seeing this topic getting a little attention.

•Pro: I shed a few tears during this story, but the tears really fell as I read Hunter's afterword. When reading the story, it was obvious that Hunter was very passionate about organ donation, but when I read why those happy tears that I love so much started falling.

Overall: A heartwarming story, that combined grief, romance, and mystery, and left me with a whole lotta wonderful feels.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS